This review is for the PlayStation 4 version of this game.
An overall fun Star Wars game that excels thanks to a great story and well-developed characters. However, the game is hurt by tons of backtracking and often-frustrating combat.
Easily the best part of this game is the strong story. Cal’s quest that takes him back down the path of the Jedi is solid by itself, but the supporting cast has intricate and sometime even more compelling story arcs. The voice acting is top-notch, and the well-rendered facial animation helps to tell the tale as well. The whole thing makes its way to a conclusion that’s satisfying, but still works in the framework of the Star Wars saga. The game makes great use of the setting in a galaxy far, far away. The sound effects are lifted directly from the films, and the score is heavily-influenced by John Williams’ classic themes. While there’s nothing fantastic about the graphics, they work for the story and fit perfectly into the Star Wars universe.
The best part of being in that world is wielding your lightsaber. Swinging that blade, and later double-blades, around and chopping up enemies is always fun. Throw in a few force abilities and you can mow down plenty of Stormtroopers without breaking a sweat.
Unfortunately, getting to that point is a bumpy ride. The game really wants the combat to revolve around perfectly-timed dodges and parries. Until you get that down, you find most your attacks blocked, while you take surprisingly-heavy damage from you foes. Even the force isn’t much help. Initially, the best you can do is slow down the bad guys a bit to score a cheap shot, but next thing you know you’ve drained your force meter. Also frustrating is when you die, it takes a good thirty-seconds to respawn. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you’re sitting there for half a minute staring at the loading screen and waiting anxiously to get back to where you left off, it feels like an eternity. On top of that, not only does dying cause all the enemies to respawn, but replenishing your heath at saves points brings them all back as well. The game is also a bit too in love with certain recurring elements, like squeezing through tight spots and getting stuck on a muddy slide. They’re pretty unique at first, but then they just get annoying. The puzzle solving is a bit tricky. They’re few and far between, and it makes it harder to figure out the game’s logic for solving them. (And a few of them are so stolen from the Zelda series, you expect to hear that famous chime when you solve the puzzle.) There is also a ton of backtracking, as there’s a lot of places you can’t get to till you unlike certain abilities. Realistically, it might be best just to do the bare minimum and finish up later when you have the necessary tools. Besides, almost all the hidden chest are just cosmetic. They might make your lightsaber look cooler, but they won’t improve it.
“Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” is a generally fun game with a fantastic story. But, constant backtracking and somewhat unforgiving combat can make it all frustrating.
***1/2 out of *****